The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Drive to improve road safety begins

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 03, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Drive to improve road safety begins

Staff Reporter

837 people were killed and 6,031 injured in road accidents in Bangalore last year

FOR SAFETY SAKE: Traffic police officials and Defence personnel participating in a rally to mark the inauguration of the Road Safety Week, in Bangalore on Monday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE: As many as 837 people were killed and 6,031 injured in road accidents in Bangalore last year. Among the main causes of accidents were speeding, drunken driving, use of mobile phones while driving and jaywalking. Concerned over the number of accidents, the Bangalore police inaugurated the 17th Road Safety Week on Monday. The theme is "Avoid speeding and overloading".

Speaking at the inauguration of the Road Safety Week, Bangalore Police Commissioner Ajai Kumar Singh said that despite frequent campaigns, violation of traffic rules is common in the city. Accidents also occur because of the bad condition of roads. To improve road safety, the police required the assistance of civic agencies, including the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, the Bangalore Development Authority, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd., and the Transport Department. They can help ensure proper roads, plan road junctions, and locate pre-paid autorickshaw stands, he added.

Dr. Singh appealed to the Transport Department to ensure that driving tests are conducted properly and new vehicles are inspected before they are registered.

Bangalore Mayor Mumtaz Begum said the lack of efforts to restore roads and footpaths after road digging has affected both pedestrians and motorists. She criticised the installation of traffic signals on flyovers.

The Mayor said the BMP will take up road maintenance and help solve traffic-related problems in the central parts of the city. It will take steps to clear encroachments on pavements, particularly those along narrow roads, she added.

Minister for Water Resources M. Mallikarjun Kharge said the State Government will persuade the Centre to give final clearances for the metro rail project, which will reduce the burden on the city roads and help improve road safety.

Schoolchildren thronged the B.R.V. Parade Grounds near Chinnaswamy Stadium, where stalls on the theme of the Road Safety Week have been put up. Models showing the importance of observing road rules by pedestrians and motorists are on display. Booklets on road safety and "defensive driving" and a pamphlet giving "dos and don'ts" for autorickshaw drivers were released.

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